Somebody please tell me this is a joke. Maybe this guy was being tongue-in-cheek and I am missing the subtle cues. If not, this is seriously one of the stupidest letters to the editor I've ever read in the Austin American Statesman:


"How insulting, how sad, the powers that be would have us take seriously a man running for president whose name is Barack HUSSEIN Obama.

I wonder how many well educated, well informed, above average Austinites are even aware of this tiny tidbit. Now that's weird.--HP BRADISH"

If he's for real, HP Bradish is a complete moron.

Man, how I love weather-related housebound days. Gray and cold outside, warm and cosy inside, snuggled up in a blanket on a sofa reading a great book or watching an old black and white movie about nuns running an orphanage, a pot of chili simmering on the stove. It just doesn't get much better for me.

Now, if I could only get my dagblamed children to play along. They need "something to do." They want to "go out and play." They're "bored." Damn them and their developmentally appropriate desire for mental and physical stimulation.

Honestly, these girls are gonna ruin my snow day. . .

Beckham signs with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

There are few sports headlines that grab my attention, but this did. I mentioned it to Davy, who is so good at seeing through these things. While I figured Beckham had lost his mind (or at least his magic touch), Davy sees things differently. It's a win-win, he says (well, he didn't actually say "win-win" but that's my interpretation). Beckham's no fool. His brand goes way up in value if he increases his recognition over here. He can't play forever, and the celebrity prospects in the U.S. are pretty high. Plus, where else would Whoever Spice (sorry, I can't remember--was she posh? was she sporty? was she the smart one?) rather be for her career than L.A.?

And what if it all has the side effect of raising soccer consiousness in the US? It's all good, right?

On a much more somber note, I just realized that today, 1/10/07, marks five years since Rachel Cooke disappeared while jogging in her neighborhood near Georgetown. Five years, and Robert still has no definitive answers about what happened to his daughter.

For one day back in November (I think) it looked the Cookes might finally know who was responsible for Rachel's disappearance and likely murder, but that all fell apart when Michael Moore unexpectedly plead not guilty at his hearing. There's still no public word as to what direction the investigation has taken now, but I hope someone is getting closer to the truth.

What the Cooke family has gone through over the past five years is simply unthinkable. Today I pray for Robert, Janet, and Joanne, and hope for the best possible future for all of them.

Hmmmmmm. I wonder what an ultra unhip 30-something minivan driving soccermom type with absolutely no connections would have to do to see one particular band at SXSW? A band that is technically not even scheduled to play, but who, according to my clever friend Jake, has clearly arranged their international touring schedule to be in Texas with a free week the same week as SXSW? (I mean, really, who goes from Houston, TX on 3/16 to Milan, Italy on 4/5?)

But I digress. My real question is how do regular people get into these things? Damn, I wish I had some strings to pull.

There are not many bands I would brave a busy club to see, especially during SXSW. But I'd give my left anything to see Scissor Sisters. . .

Plumbing update.

The plumber just left. He used a cool little camera device to inspect our pipes. His diagnosis: Nothing Is Wrong.

It feels very much like taking the car to the mechanic. But sir, it was SMOKING yesterday. How can nothing be wrong?????

Anyway, it seems that either the blockage resolved itself or it was actually the city sewer that stopped up and flowed back into our pipes. We'll never know. Unless it happens again. God forbid.

Here's the best part. He charged us. . .

Wait for it. . . .

Nothing.

The man inspected our pipes for an hour. Changed a flapper on the upstairs toilet.

And charged us $0.00.

That has never happened to me in my life. We've been using this plumber for a couple of years, and I can't speak highly enough of him. It's David at Plumb Good. If you ever need a plumber, I'll gladly pass his contact information along. Best. Plumber. Ever.

Happy New Year. And Happy Major Plumbing Expenses!

Thursday night the kitchen sink backed up for no apparent reason. Well, except for the absurd quantity of lettuce that I put through the disposal because it had been sitting in the refrigerator since Christmas. . . Davy was gone and I had to have a neighbor come help me. I had plunged the sink, but to no avail. It turns out you have to block air from entering the drain from the other side by filling it with water. Who knew? I don't have a master's degree in linguistics for nothin, baby!

Fast forward to Sunday morning. Davy and Mia are out, and Zoe and I are having a relaxing hour alone. I'm cleaning out the guest room closet in preparation for Jenny, our German friend who will be joining us later this month to spend a semester at Austin High School. But I digress. I walk into the laundry room to get something and realize my socks are wet. Crap, is the washing machine leaking? Nope. Laundry room is completely dry. Walk back out into the hall to realize the carpet is squishing. It is literally soaked with water!?! So I pivot to the right and look into the bathroom. Double crap! But really this time. The floor is covered in some kind of sludge. And so is the bathtub. What the hell? This must have happened in the last 5 minutes because the last time I walked through here, everything was fine.

Where ever the water came from (the floor under to toilet and the bathtub drain? there's no sign of nastiness on the actual toilet bowl, so I'm stymied), it has stopped. I get everything cleaned up and cautiously flush the toilet. Nothing out of the ordinary. I run the washing machine and the dishwasher (which were both running during the debacle), and again, nothing. Still, I leave a message with the plumber, set up fans to dry the carpet, and get on with my day.

Monday morning, Mia flushes the toilet upstairs and then yells that it is leaking. What the hell? She "may have used too much toilet paper." So this may or may not be related to the mess from yesterday. Call the plumber again. They're coming this afternoon. This can't be good!!!!

The coming execution of Saddam Hussein makes me uneasy. I can't really put words to it. It's not that he didn't do some really bad things. I imagine he probably did. I also understand that his death sentence was technically passed by the Iraqi justice system, and so officially, it's not the U.S. executing a foreign leader. But people worldwide are going to blame the U.S. nonetheless. And really, isn't this the most honorable thing that could possibly happen to him? To die a martyr for the anti-U.S. cause? Isn't it going to simply inflame the insurgency and put U.S. forces further in the hole (speaking in terms of both military logistics and public relations) than they already are?

I honestly don't see what point it serves. Does it deter other bad guys from doing bad stuff? Probably not so much. I guess it ensures that he can never escape and do more bad stuff, but that was a pretty unlikely proposition anyway.

Just thinking out loud (kind of). . .

Oh yeah!

You know you're getting old when you have a little celebration because it's "only" an endometrial polyp.

I don't have cancer. At least not of the uterus. And not right now.

Happy, happy day!

Random stuff

I played a concert at the Paramount last night. That was a lot of fun. It was definitely the oldest and most historic stage I can remember playing on. The dressing rooms are underground--pretty much right below the stage--and they're crazy small. We imagine performers' lives being exciting and glamorous, but I've sat in the same dressing room as David Sedaris and Jerry Seinfeld, and I've gotta tell you, it wasn't so glamorous!
*********************
I've got some weird health stuff going on. I actually feel great. I'm fitter and generally healthier than ever. But I've had some funny "girl" problems lately that inspired my doctor to do a endometrial biopsy to rule out uterine cancer. Now I get to wait 4-5 days for the results--which I'm sure are going to be fine. But really I'm just saying that. I'm not so sure at all. How ironic would it be for me to have lost all this weight and gotten fit and healthy--just to get cancer? That would really piss me off. . .
*********************
I like not working better than working. If only I could find a way to earn money while not working. Well, then I'd be rich! In a perfect world, I'd sleep as late as I wanted to, read for at least 2 hours every day, ride my bike more, and play with my kids without being distracted by a bunch of stuff on my to-do list.
*********************
Also in my perfect world??? I'd be able to think of something interesting to write about. . .

Robyn's question for the day:

Do the people at Fox News actually, honestly believe that they are "journalists"? If so, I want some of their denial meds.

Really.

What a bastard. So apparently he had a plea agreement. In exchange for a guilty plea, this guy was going to get to serve concurrent life sentences. The DA's office, the sherrif's office, his own attorney, the Cooke family, everyone sitting in the court room expected a guilty plea. And he says "not guilty."

Are you fucking kidding me? Sure in principal he deserves a fair trial and he's not guilty until proven guilty and all that really important stuff that makes our justice system work (when it does work). But right now all I can think about is Robert and Janet and the rest of the family. They've been through so much, and to think it was over and to end up on a roller coaster like this--it's just not right.

I simply can't imagine. . .

Rachel. . .

On a Sunday evening in early January of 2002, just as we were sitting down to dinner, the phone rang. It was one of Davy's coworkers telling him that his friend and coworker, Robert, needed help. Robert's daughter had disappeared. He knew something was wrong, but he was having trouble getting law enforcement to take it seriously. Davy, like the rest of his team, immediately offered to help look for her, and he and scores of others spent the next week scouring the areas around her neighborhood and beyond. After she'd been missing for a couple of days, if I remember correctly, police finally took notice, but it was too late. Rachel was gone, and nobody who knew what had happened to her was talking.

It's been four and a half years since Rachel disappeared. Robert and Janet have divorced, and Robert was laid off from his job. They're entire lives have fallen apart. Robert has spent the past four and a half years searching for Rachel and helping other families in similar situations. He has participated in several searches for missing people, and spoken at conferences and before government committees. I read his online journal and visit rachel's site www.rachelcookesearch.org regularly, but I can't imagine the hell he's been through.

Tomorrow the Williamson County Sherrif's Department is going to make an announcement about an important new development in the case. The announcement is linked to court procedings scheduled for 10:00 a.m. I imagine charges are going to be filed, and I wouldn't be surprised if they had something to do with the remains that were found in a barrell in Lake Buchanan in September. No announcement was ever made about them. . .

No matter what, I can't imagine that it's good news. Although I suppose that on some level getting answers is better than not knowing. Or then again, maybe not. I just don't know. What I do know is that my heart is breaking for Robert and the entire Cooke family all over again. It's going to be a long night.

Editing to say that my barrel theory was off the mark. Rachel's remains have not been found. But a suspect, who is already serving a life sentence for the murder of another woman in the north Austin area, has been charged with her murder.

Just in case anyone was holding their breath or unable to sleep, I'm back to report that the Scissor Sisters new CD Ta-Dah does not disappoint.

I LOVE these guys!

Random Observations. . .

Expressing one's dislike of the current president of the United States does NOT make said person a "communist." Do a little reading people. Democracy is ABOUT dissent. And besides that, the cold war is over. If you're going to dehumanize everyone who disagrees with you by classifying them as your most terrifying enemy, you might as well choose a relevant enemy. IDIOTS!
----------------------------------
If you're in charge of the jack-o-lantern pumpkin display at the local grocery story, and you actually WANT to sell some pumpkins, don't stack them in huge boxes, in a corner, behind a bunch of bales of hay. Here's an idea---make them accessible to your customers.
----------------------------------
I've finally done some research and despite the fact that he is the most entertaining candidate running for Texas, I'm not going to be able to vote for Kinky. His stance on immigration seems to be, well, a punchline more than the skeleton of any sort of workable policy. And a bad punchline at that. Too bad, though. Texas could use a character. Sadly it looks like Rick Perry is going to take this one. Again. It will be interesting to see which way Austin votes, though.
----------------------------------
On a lighter, and happier, note, my Scissor Sisters CD has arrived and is sitting on my desk as I type. For some reason I haven't put it in the player yet. Perhaps I'm afraid it won't live up to my expectations. I guess it's time to take a risk.
----------------------------------
Oh, and one other thing I need to get off my chest. Rush Limbaugh is a prick. And anyone who is still listening to him is an idiot. What the fuck is wrong with you people???? Seriously!

Hooray!!! The new Scissor Sisters CD is out. I can't wait to get my hands on it!
It's not often these days that I actually get excited about new music, but these guys are so much fun!

We're heading to Plano tomorrow after school and the State Fair of Texas on Friday. I hope it doesn't rain on us. There's just nothing quite as depressing as a soggy Fletcher's Corndog. . .

Today's entry from the department of You Had to Spend Money on a Study to Figure That Out?!?!

Bike Lanes Are Good For Cyclists

A reminder that there are idiots all over the world--not just in America!

Panda Bites Man; Man Bites Panda

One thing nobody tells you about having kids is that they are going to make you sick. I don't mean "that nose ring makes me want to throw up" sick. I'm talking fevery, shivering, "I can't remember what it was like to feel normal" miserable. The thing is, once they get to school, they spend all day with kids from all over the place, coughing and sneezing on each other. Lots of parents send their sick kids to school because they have no other options. Other parents send sick kids to school because the schools are so damned hard-assed nowadays about absences and losing out on state funds.

In any event, my kids are bringing home ebola-strength colds on a pretty regular basis. They recover from them quickly, but I seem to catch every third or fourth virus that passes through, and periodically one of those will knock me flat on my ass. Which is where you'll find me right now. Flat on my coughing, sneezing, achy, stuffy head, sore throat, fever-y ass. Feeling sorry for myself.

If this is my last post ever, well you'll know why.

Willie's still got it!

According to an AP report. . .

"Willie Nelson and four others were issued misdemeanor citations for possession of narcotic mushrooms and marijuana after a traffic stop Monday morning on a Louisiana highway, state police said.
The citations were issued after a commercial vehicle inspection of the country music star’s tour bus, state police said in a news release.
“When the door was opened and the trooper began to speak to the driver, he smelled the strong odor of marijuana,” the news release said. A search of the bus produced 1½ pounds of marijuana and 0.2 pounds of narcotic mushrooms, according to state police."

DAMN!